The Witch and the Wizard
by Fuhrer Fettt
Summary: What would have happened if Oz had broken Glinda's wand? What would have happened if he chose Theodora or perhaps even Evanora instead? R&R Rated T for mild profanity and blood
1. One Witch Dies, Another Rises

Oz held the wand of the Witch in his hands. He held her life, her very essence, and he knew it. She turned to look at him, for she had heard his heavy breathing. Fear in her eyes, Glinda threw out her hand. Oz, unsure of her intentions, brought the wand down over his knee. For a second, Glinda froze, and time itself stood still. Then, time resumed. Air rushed towards the witch, and her cloak flew off, revealing a beautiful creature beneath. She seemed to swell like a balloon, air filling every space in her body.

"So this is how it ends." were Glinda's final words. As soon as her voice fell upon Oz's ears, she exploded. Wind rushed out, flattening grass for miles. The China Girl flew through the air, tumbling head over heel. Finley was soon to follow, his wings catching on the rushing air. Oz was last to fall. He landed heavily on his back, the air from his lungs joining the air rushing over his face as it forced itself out of his body. He heard several cracks, one loud smash. A child's scream reached over the wind for a moment, then was swept away. A Finley screeched in terror, and strips of witch's flesh flew past his head. Oz's senses were on overload, as he struggled to take all of this in in a matter of seconds. He brought his head up slightly, but a flying chunk of something or other hit him on the head. He instantly blacked out.

….

When Oz came to, he moved his hand to his head. When he drew it back, it was covered in a sticky, congealed fluid. He sniffed it. A metallic scent filled his nose. Blood. Struggling to his feet, he grabbed a nearby headstone to steady himself. The sight that met his eyes filled him with sorrow. China Girl lay in pieces at the base of the headstone he had grabbed.

"Fitting." He said, choking back sorrow. He had grown to truly care for her. A pity indeed. He looked around for Finley. He spotted him hanging from a dead tree, his wings bent at impossible angles. He appeared unconscious, but before Oz could attend to him, his attention was drawn to something incredible. In the middle of the cemetery, a blackened circle of earth, littered with scraps of flesh, surrounded a dark figure. The figure, which Oz could only assume was Glinda, was bent double, in a fetal position. But this was not the beautiful creature he had seen moments before the explosion. No, this was something completely different. Its skin was a sickly, putrid green, akin to mold or pond scum. It had a hooked beak for a nose, and a chin sharper than a dagger. Seemingly sensing his presence, its eyes opened. They were the color of blood. Getting to its feet, it glared at Oz.

"DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME?!" it screamed. "I was beautiful! I was good! I was Glinda! My father was murdered by the one who sent you! Look what you've done to me!" She threw out her hand, and a broom materialized. "I will get my vengeance!" she swore as she began to rise. Cackling filled Oz's ears as she flew away, leaving a trail of acrid smoke behind. Sighing, he moved to help Finley down from the tree.


	2. The Pain of Success

A/N: I never imagined I would get this many reviews and follows so quickly. You humble me, you truly do.

Also, a quick question; would you guys rather have long chapters spaced out? Or would you prefer shorter chapters more often? Leave your answer in a review.

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Oz cursed as his jacket snagged on a tree branch. Finley was unable to move, so Oz had been forced to climb the dead tree. With a grunt, he ripped his jacket free, leaving a bit of cloth stuck to the branch. Catching his breath, he placed a hand on the trunk and grabbed a rag from his belt and wiped his face. It came back soaked. Looking down, Oz noticed that he had only climbed half of what he needed to in order to reach Finley.

A vicious crack resounded through the air as Oz plummeted back towards the ground, the broken branch following him. He landed on his back, the air driving itself from his lungs. The branch, looking like a spear from heaven, flew straight towards his gut. Oz's eyes went huge as he saw fate delivering its final blow. A slight gust of wind redirected it, and it slammed point first into the seam of the crotch of his pants, pinning the fabric to the ground. Sighing in relief, Oz let his head fall back into the dirt. After a few seconds of gathering himself, he ripped out the branch, leaving a gaping hole in his trousers. Grinning ruefully and rubbing the back of his head, he moved back towards the tree. Idly, he wondered how Theodora would react to his accidental exposure. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts from his mind, he focused on finding _safe _foot and handholds. The rough bark chafed and scratched his exposed hands, forearms, cheek, anything really that was exposed. By the time he reached Finley, his hands were a bloody mess. The rough bark had basically turned hands into hamburger. It had been just his luck that the taller half of the tree was covered in thorns. No wonder Finley was stuck. Pulling out his handy multi-tool, he opened the saw attachment. But as soon as he set to sawing on the needle thorns that punctured Finley's wings, Finley cried out in pain.

"Great balls of glorious bananas that hurts!" Finley shouted, tears flowing freely.

"Sorry." Oz muttered. He had sawed through only three thorns, and already Finley looked like he was going to pass out from pain. "Do you have any better ideas?" Oz asked tiredly.

"Yes. Just one. GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Finley screamed.

Oz wiped his face with his already-soaked rag. Looking at the thorns and the branch they were attached to, an idea began to form in his mind. Slowly, mindful of the very sharp thorns, he moved to the base of the main branch that held Finley. He started sawing at the point closest to Finley's wings, without cutting through the wing itself. After he got a groove going, his work became much easier. After two minutes of solid sawing, he was through the branch, save for the thread it was hanging by. "Hang on Finley!" Oz called out as he cut through the last bit of branch.

"FUDGE DIPPED BANANAS" Finley screamed as he began plummeting towards the ground. His wings tore free from the needles, leaving hunks of flesh and feathers on the branches. Oz, seeing his error, lunged after the branch, snagging it at the last second. He was nearly dragged down with Finley, but he threw his hand out to catch on a branch. A piercing pain shot through his hand as the tip of a thorn entered his palm, and exited between his knuckles. Gasping in agony, he strained all of his muscles to swing Finley towards the only soft ground he could spot; a small mossy patch. Tears running down his cheeks, he released Finley, and watched him twist and turn on his way down. To his relief, he landed square on the mossy patch. Now, turning to his own problem, he ripped his hand free. Blood flowed freely from the hole in his palm, and he left bloody palm prints on the rough bark of the tree as he more or less fell from the tree, branch to branch. When he finally reached the ground, he had become white with blood loss. Groaning, he grabbed his rag. Using his teeth and his free hand, because Finley was unconscious, he tied his rag in a makeshift bandage around his hand. It immediately became soaked with blood, but it was the best he could do.

Finley groaned on the ground, still unconscious. He mumbled something that sounded like "Bane the undead munchkins", but Oz guessed easily that it must have been "Banana-bread muffins". It was a more Finley-sounding thing to say. Sighing, Oz knelt down next to Finley. The branches had mostly been ripped away, along with what seemed like half of the flesh on his wings. There was only one branch left; the one Oz had cut. Grimacing in advance, he got back to his feet. He gripped the branch with both hands, careful to avoid the thorns.

"Sorry" Oz whispered, as he placed his foot on Finley's shoulder. With a guttural cry, he ripped the branch from Finley's wing. Flesh separated from bone and sinew, blood spurted from arteries, and feathers disconnected from skin. Finley spasmed, but he remained unconscious. Oz guessed the pain knocked him out. Casting the branch away, he took off his coat. Wrapping Finley in his coat, he created a sort of sling that he could carry him in. Looking with sadness at China Girl's remains, he spent a few minutes gathering all the pieces he could find. Wrapping them with a scrap of silk he found in his bag, he tied it together and slipped it into his bag. Getting a better grip on Finley, he began the long walk back to the Emerald City. Hamburger hands, pierced palm, ripped pants, Finley's wings, all these injuries were insignificant compared to the loss Oz felt in the depths of his heart. China Girl would never be forgotten.


	3. Sisterly Love

A/N: Seeing as none of you bothered to tell me what you want, I shall just carry on the way I have been for the past two chapters. I am not nearly as humbled as I was before, but nonetheless, I shall soldier on for you!

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Evanora watched with glee as she scried Oz the Wizard in her crystal ball. She crowed in excitement as Oz broke Glinda's wand, killing her single greatest opposition to the throne. But as the smoke cleared, Evanora became confused. Instead of Glinda dying, she had been transformed into a hideous creature, a truly evil witch. She looked how Evanora felt inside. Twisted, misshapen, and sickly. She had always been jealous of her sister Theodora's attractiveness, and even more so of Glinda's exquisite and unmatchable beauty. She felt a sense of pride in her accomplishment, but at the same time, another emotion surfaced within her. Uncertainty blossomed, then that uncertainty morphed into anxiety. "What have I done?" she wondered aloud, her voice tinged with fear. Not only had she just created a seemingly far more powerful witch, a fact she could tell from her ability to conjure material objects with ease, a skill Glinda had been previously unable to master, but she had just created another contender to the throne of Oz. Glinda had always been a contender, but now she was a contender with obvious ambitions.

"Sister, something has gone terribly wrong. I cannot find the Wizard." Theodora spoke, her voice full of angst and concern. She truly cared for the Wizard, or Oz as he preferred to be called. She recalled that wondrous dance, and the kiss they had shared. Her first. She smiled lightly at the thought, and she could still feel his lips pressed against hers. She let her hand drift to her side, touching the music box he had given her. She carried it everywhere with her, in a bag on her side.

Evanora guessed what was going through her sister's mind. "He is safe, you know." She reassured her sister. But not for long, she added silently. Or perhaps he might. He did have a certain air about him, one that exuded confidence. She loved that in a man. Perhaps he had not outlived his usefulness quite yet. "But I must say, there is something about him, isn't there?"

Theodora nodded enthusiastically, relieved to hear the words of reassurance from her sister. But something about the way her sister talked about him raised her suspicions. "Where is he sister? I must know." Something in her tone brooked no argument.

"He went to kill the wicked witch, of course. He could not wait to end her and set all of Oz free. Didn't he say something to you?" Evanora asked, a ghost of a smile playing across her lips. She knew exactly why Theodora had no knowledge of where OZ had gone. She had made sure of that.

"No, he did not. Pray tell, sister, how you know." Theodora demanded, looking at her sister warily. Theodora did not yet know of her sister's scrying ball. She had always assumed Evanora's knowing of everything that went on in the great land of Oz was due to her greater perceptiveness.

Evanora moved in front of her crystal ball reserved for scrying hastily, hoping to obscure her sister's view. Theodora was not fooled, and pushed Evanora out of the way. "Sister, where did you get this?" she asked, her voice momentarily clear of suspicion as she beheld the wonder of watching Oz stumble along the Yellow Brick road, carrying a badly injured Finley. China Girl was nowhere to be seen. Her heart leaped out to the obviously injured Oz.

Evanora regained her composure quickly. "It was a gift from the previous Wizard. He passed it on to me on his deathbed." In truth, she had stolen it from his chambers when he had been in his dying throes.

"Why did you not tell me of this sooner? I could have watched over him from the very beginning of his journey. My heart would have been set at ease, and you could have spared me much anguish." Theodora said, watching her beloved Wizard in the crystal with an intensity that could have shamed a sniper aiming down his sights. "He is so handsome, even when he is injured so. Do you not agree, sister?"

Evanora could not help but nod. The Wizard _was _striking, she could not deny. Something fluttered in her heart, something she had not felt in a long, long time. She couldn't identify the feeling at first, but as it grew, she recognized it. It was want. It was desire. She dare not call it love yet, for it was far too early and she was far too wicked. But still, it was there. Evanora decided then and there that Oz was to be hers. She turned away from her sister, nonchalantly moving to her fabrication table. She discreetly moved several pinches of red fabrication powder into her hand. With a whispered magic word, the dust sprang into a form all too familiar to Evanora from her first scrying of Oz. She had watched the so-called Wizard dance with her younger sister, and her heart had filled with jealousy and hate. She glowed with envy when Oz manifested a music box for her dearest sister. She turned back to Theodora, stroking a picture perfect copy of the music box Oz had given Theodora.

"Where did you get that?" Theodora whispered, her voice barely audible as she turned away from the crystal ball. It looked exactly like the one the Wizard had given her. She took it from her sister's hands, examining it closely. Even the grain looked like a perfect match. Theodora opened the lid, and two dancing figures rose from the depths of the box. A tune began to play; the tune of her favorite night in existence. The tune that belonged to her and her alone, because Oz had given it to her. She narrowed her eyes, and she felt the familiar rush of heat in her hands as she grew angry.

"Oh, that was given to me by the Wizard. He came to my chambers last night, you know. Oh Sister, you were right. He truly is the Wizard of the prophecy, for no other man could have made me feel the way I felt last night. We danced for hours, it seemed, to the tune of this little box." Inside, Evanora reveled in the pain she was obviously causing her sister. But outwards, her face was a mask of longing and wistfulness. But what Evanora perceived as pain, was actually anger. Hot, uncontrollable anger.

"He said I would be his queen. He said we would rule Oz together, for as long as we both lived." Theodora's voice was dangerously quiet, like the calm waters that covered a dangerous undercurrent. A thin shell was all that held back her fury. The music box replica shook slightly in her hands. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but they were not tears of sadness or misery. No, they were tears of anger, an anger induced by pain.

Evanora grasped Theodora's hand in a sisterly way. A way that was meant to be comforting but only served to infuriate Theodora. She brought her mouth close to Theodora's ear. "Are you sure it was not you who said it to him?" She pulled away, a sad smile on her face. But inside, she was not yet satisfied. She had not broken her yet, and she could no more resist one last jibe than a starving man who had not eaten in days could resist an all you can eat buffet. "But he did tell it to me." Her sad smile changed to a triumphant one.

That was the last straw for Theodora. She screamed and threw Evanora's music box with all her might. She grabbed her own from her bag and was about to send it after Evanora's, but what she saw stopped her arm in mid throw. Where Evanora's box had hit the wall, there was no broken wood. Just a pile of red dust on the carpet. Seeing it for what it was, Theodora rounded on her sister. "Evanora, you conniving piece of shit!" She screamed in fury. Flames blossomed in her free hand, her right hand still holding the music box. "You would play my heart strings! Just so you can claim him! You would cause me unendurable agony, just because you are jealous of me! I should never have believed you in the first place, about anything you've said about him!" Her screams were vicious, sharp, and dangerous. The flames in her left hand grew brighter and hotter. "You would take the one man who has ever made me happy! You would take him, just because you want him!" Flames dripped from her hand, falling on the floor, before putting themselves out. They weren't hot enough to sustain themselves. Not yet.

Evanora backed away from her sister, true fear in her eyes. "Come now sister. We can talk this thr…" She was cut off by a fireball hurling past her face and splashing over the emerald wall behind her.

"Enough talking! I am sick of all your damn talking! I hate you! I never want to see you again!" Theodora hurled one last fireball, directed at her sister's fabrication table. The table burst into flames, but the fire was so hot, it was immediately reduced to ashes. Nothing remained, not a single grain of dust, not a single gear of her machines. Spinning away, she clutched her music box to her chest as she sprinted out of the room, the fire in her left hand gone. She slammed the door shut, and pulled a wardrobe down in front of it. The wardrobe's framing splintered, but the entirety of it held fast. It created a formidable barrier; one Evanora did not have the strength to move on her own.

Theodora sprinted to her room, ripping off the dress and pearls she had donned to impress the Wizard. No, not _the _Wizard, _her _Wizard. She replaced them with the travelling clothes she had worn when she had first met him, down by the river. "I'm coming Wizard." She whispered, a tear hanging on the edge of her eyelid. It was not a tear of anger, nor a tear of pain. It was a tear of love, a tear of joy. The tear did not fall, but evaporated into the air, leaving her beauty unscarred. She grabbed her hat off the mannequin that was its resting place, and ran out of her room. She ran out of the palace and to the stables. There, she spied Nuck, or Sourpuss as her Wizard loved to call him, for some odd reason she could not fathom. "Nuck!" she called out.

"Yes, milady?" Nuck asked, standing at attention, his ever present bugle awaiting a never-coming fanfare. He seemed in a slightly depressed mood, which was normal for him.

"Prepare a carriage for departure immediately! The Wizard requires my help!" Theodora ordered, her tone leaving no space for interjection or refusal. Her Wizard needed her, and she was coming. Nuck jumped to, and had a carriage ready to go in less than three minutes. He jumped, quite literally for someone of his stature, into the driver's seat. Theodora was in the carriage faster than one could say "prestidigitatious". She grabbed the reins from Nuck and snapped them with a force great enough to send the horses running. They bolted out of the stables, nearly trampling two Winkie guardsmen. "Sorry" Theodora called out over her shoulder as the horses sped down the emerald streets. The gates were thrown wide open for her as the horses thundered through the gates, their flanks heaving. "I'm coming, my Wizard." She repeated as the horses hooves clattered on the yellow pavement.

Back in the palace, Evanora threw herself against the door that held her prisoner in what had once been her sanctuary. "It's not fair!" She cried, sobbing. Tears had no effect on her, so she was free to spill them as she pleased. She slumped against the door, before anger took her. The other witches had always gotten everything. Everything they had asked for was theirs. She had had to climb and claw her way up. She had had to snatch everything she wanted and fight fiercely to defend it. She wanted Oz, and she would not be deterred. In her moment of self-pity, she found a reserve of strength deep inside her. With a cry of fury, she released her anguish and pain on the door. It, and the wardrobe behind it, shattered into a million slivers. She stalked out of the room, emerald lightning crackling in her hands. "Winkies!" she screamed. Several Winkie guardsmen thundered down the emerald hallways, pushing servants out of the way. She beckoned them closer, and began orchestrating and outlining her plan for eliminating the wizard.

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A/N: I apologize, for I have deviated slightly from Theodora's personality to better suit the story, and in my opinion, herself. I gave her a little more backbone, and I hope you enjoyed the result :)

Also, in the movie, it does indeed show that Evanora cries and it does not burn her.


	4. Theodora to the Rescue

A/N: I would like to begin by apologizing to all of you. You may have been hoping that I had been working on a ten thousand word spectacle. I wish with all my heart that this was the truth. But the truth is far less glamorous. I have been suffering from severe scriptoris obstructionum. It had literally crippled me, but I have finally broken through it. The fight was intense, but it was worth it. Before we continue the story, I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for your gracious reviews. Below are some that I feel required a response.

SkullGauddess

I suppose Theodora's going to win the battle over the wizard. Glinda's technically out because she's gone ugly and wicked. I was hoping that Evanora would have a fighting chance, but now she wants to destroy him :(

-Technically, every single witch is in the running. Evanora has just as much chance as Theodora. Glinda's chance is close to null, but if there is enough of a call for her revival and redemption, I might be able to work something out. But it's not likely.

Harmony4Eva

At what part did Evanora cry? Also I realized that the origin story for WWW is basically a watered-down version of Darth Vader's. I think I'm starting to ship Evanora/Palpatine lol.

-She cried when she asked her sister if it was not her who had said they would be married. It's the scene where Theodora is scarred, right after Evanora manifests the box.

And now, to the story. Scriptoris obstructionum, I BANISH YOU

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Oz stumbled along the yellow brick road. Drips of blood oozed from beneath the blood soaked bandage on his hand. He had long since run out of the willpower, strength, and sterile bandages necessary to change his dressing. His pants had a gaping hole in the crotch, but Oz was in too much pain to care. Wrapped in the Wizard's coat was Finley. His wings looked less like the wings you would find on the back of a healthy flying monkey and more like the wings of a plucked chicken who had had its feathers removed with a very rusty and jagged sword. To top it off, they were crudely pressed against his back with a bit of trick rope Oz had in his bag. They had broken in the tree, and if left untamed, would bend at impossible angles. This, along with the fright he had received and the obvious grief he was feeling for China Girl had rendered him unconscious. The only sign of life from the flying monkey was the occasional moan, usually follow by sobs of pain and anguish which racked his body. Oz stumbled on, the pain driving him into a deeper haze. Only one thought ran through his mind. _Forward forward forward._

Theodora snapped the reins, driving the horses to even greater speeds. She wore her normal traveling attire. Her red hat fit snugly over her dark hair, framing her porcelain face. A look of fervent fear distorted her otherwise perfect features. The carriage thundered down the yellow brick road. Nuck clung to the carriage with one hand in a death grip, the other holding on to his bugle. His hat bounced precariously on top of his head, moving in time with the horse's gait. The bright red wooden wheels bounced on the bricks, contrasting beautifully with the yellow pavement and the emerald green carriage body. Theodora's thoughts were focused on one thing. She was focusing so intently, anyone with an inkling of magical ability in a ten mile radius could have heard her thoughts if they tried. _I'm coming, my Wizard. I'm coming for you._

Oz's head snapped up. He could have sworn he heard something. It was a feminine voice, so that ruled out his own mind playing tricks on him. He glanced down at Finley, and sure enough, he was still out cold. That ruled him out as well. Briefly he entertained the idea of China Girl's spirit coming to him, but the logical side of him cast that idea out immediately. He didn't believe in an afterlife. Besides, she was just an automaton. Automatons didn't have souls. Oz didn't really believe this, but his anguish was making him rationalize the fact that he lost her by rendering her as valueless as possible. It wasn't working. He still felt her loss as deeply as he imagined he would feel if he lost a limb. The mental and physical pain was overwhelming. He didn't think he could handle much more.

Oz heard the woman's voice again. This time much clearer. _I'm coming, my Wizard. I'm coming for you. _He was now totally freaking out. He broke into a run, his hands covering his ears in a vain attempt to block the words. He was scared. This bit of magic was scarier than the tornado. More frightening than the Wicked Witch. It was terrifying, because he didn't understand this fear. He didn't understand why he was afraid, and it made him all the more fearful. His feet pounded on the yellow bricks, sending shockwaves of pain up his legs that his brain ignored. It could not receive the signals his body was sending him. The fear-induced adrenaline was making an impenetrable wall. As he fearfully glanced behind him, his foot landed in a pothole on the road. His ankle snapped immediately, finally breaking through his shield of adrenaline. Looking down as he fell, he saw a spur of bone poking through the side of his ankle. Realizing he would kill Finley if he landed on him, he twisted his body so he landed on his back. The force of gravity, combined with the speed he had been running, immediately rendered Oz unconscious when his head smacked against the bricks that had been under his feet moments ago. The skin on his scalp split with the blunt force, and blood began pooling around his head. He would be dead in a matter of minutes.

Theodora shrieked in pain as her head exploded in agony. She dropped the reins, but Nuck immediately took them from where they were hanging. Theodora had no clue why her head hurt, but Nuck assumed it was nothing good. But knowing that Theodora would press on, he did too. After a few moments, the pain subdsided in Theodora's head. Gratefully, she smiled at Nuck. Nuck returned the smile, taking his eyes off the road for a few seconds. The carriage rose a few inches as it ran over something on the road that wasn't supposed to be there. Accompanying the bump was a sickening snapping sound that bounced off the trees lining the yellow brick road. Nuck hurriedly drew the horse a halt as Theodora leaped off the carriage. Running behind it, she spotted Oz immediately, laying face up in a pool of his own blood. His left leg was broken in two places. A spur of bone jutted out from his ankle, and his shin was snapped cleanly in two where the wheel had run over it. The blood pool extended several inches around his cranium, but it looked like the wound had sealed itself. Still, he had lost a lot of blood. Theodora wasted no time in taking off her overcoat and swaddling Oz's head in the fabric. Gingerly, she rested his head on her thighs. Nuck jumped down, stumbling slightly on the landing. He carried a medical bag from under the seat of the carriage. He carefully lifted Finley from the makeshift sling Oz had improvised, and set him on one of the couches in the carriage. His injuries weren't life threatening. Oz's injuries were. Nuck wasted no time in splinting Oz's leg and bandaging it. That leg could end up killing him. Moving to the massive hole in Oz's hand, he removed the blood soaked bandage. It stuck slightly when he removed it, and new blood seeped through the dried and congealed scab that had begun to form. Nuck quickly stuck a wad of clean padding on top of both sides of the wound and expertly wrapped the hand in a pure white bandage. Checking him over for any more injuries, he had Theodora move. She gently set his head on the yellow cobblestones, and went to sit inside the carriage. Nuck removed Theodora's hasty wrapping and discarded the coat. He took a massive ball of gauze and began unraveling it. He placed a thick mat of padding on the back of Oz's head and wrapped the gauze around Oz's forehead to hold it in place. He continued wrapping Oz's cranium with several layers of gauze until all of his head above his hairline was covered in an inch of gauze. Using all of his strength, he hefted Oz into the carriage, settling Oz on the bench opposite of Finley. Theodora rested Oz's head in her lap, tenderly stroking his face. Nuck quickly grabbed the discarded coat and Oz's bag, tossed them into the carriage, and closed the door. He closed the door and hurried to the front of the carriage. He jumped into the driver's seat, scooting himself into a comfortable position. Taking the reins up in his hands, he snapped them, spurring the horses back in the directions of the Emerald City.

Evanora grinned. The trap had been set. Winkie Guardsmen watched every gate, patrolling in groups of twenty. Winged baboons flew in squadrons of five, patrolling the roads leading to the Emerald City. She was just putting the finishing touches on his room. A king sized bed fit for a king dominated the room, curtains of emeralds hung on strands of silk, granting great privacy to any who lay within. The bed rested atop a great circular rug, dyed the color of rubies. Sapphire fire hung in brackets on the wall, suspended in globules of glass, which were in turn supported by wrought iron brackets. The walls were emerald, but the floor was made of gold tiles, richly inlaid with diamonds spreading in a sunburst pattern from the center of each tile, where a massive opal was laid. There was enough wealth in this one room to feed the Emerald City for a year. She sat on the bed, dreaming of Oz. She could not explain why she was so smitten, so she briefly entertained the idea of him being a love wizard. She discarded it immediately, but the thought still lingered in her mind. Scolding herself for thinking of such silly things, she moved to stand in front of the massive, full-body mirror. The flawless glass was surrounded by a border of solid gold, inlaid with sapphires and rubies and amethysts. She checked to make sure her appearance was flawless, and then moved to leave the room. She checked to make sure the mahogany wardrobe was stocked with robes and tunics fit for a king on her way out. Closing the door to the bedroom, she made her way to the gatehouse, where she awaited the arrival of her consort.

Oz faded in and out of consciousness, his eyes focusing for milliseconds on an angel in black pants and a white blouse, with a red hat adorned with a feather. He mumbled something unintelligible, causing the angel to smile. She bent down and kissed his forehead, causing him to smile. He drifted back into the black. The soft, warm black.

Squadron Gamma of the flying baboons spotted the carriage hurtling towards the Emerald City. Gamma Zeta howled with excitement as he wheeled back to report their findings, while Gamma Alpha, Gamma Beta, Gamma Epsilon, and Gamma Gamma dove towards the carriage, their wings pulled into their body to increase their aerodynamics. Silent shadows, they fell at speeds that would tear apart a human. Snapping their wings out to stop themselves, they crashed onto the roof of the carriage. They dug their claws through the roof, ripping off panels of wood.

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A/N: First off, I know, I know. I'm terribly mean to Oz. I'm punishing him for his actions in the movie. MWAHAHA. But on a serious note, this chapter was incredibly hard for me to write. I apologize for any disappointments, but writer's block is no easy thing to overcome. Hopefully I will be able to kick my writer's block in time for me to actually enjoy writing the next chapter. And remember this most ancient creed, for its truth can be found everywhere.

Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.


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